SpaceX Successfully Test Fires Recovered Falcon 9

Since its successful touchdown on a barge in April, the first Falcon 9 to not explode during at-sea landing has been taking a heck of a trip from space to barge to portto truck. With any luck, its adventures will take it back to space as the first Falcon 9 to be reused. This test firing means we're one step closer.

The rocket you see in this test is not actually the historic barge-lander. Instead, it's a rocket that took a satellite to orbit in May, and this one won't be reflown. The test firing, which goes for the length of a Falcon 9's first-stage blast, will give SpaceX precious data when it comes to making sure that the first recovered rocket to actually launch won't explode on the launchpad or on its way up.

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While the successful landing of rockets is impressive—and SpaceX has gotten quite good at it—it's really only a halfway point in the ultimate dream of reusability. If they land but can never be used again, what is even the point? So what you see here is arguably as important of a step as the landings, even if it's not quite as spectacular.

There's no word on when a recovered Falcon 9 will finally fly, but we wait with bated breath.